When referring to “controlling the temperature” of a workpiece here, this means bringing about a particular temperature of the workpiece which it is not at initially. This can relate to an increase in temperature or a decrease in temperature.
In the automobile industry, a frequent instance of controlling the temperature of workpieces, namely heating workpieces, and in particular vehicle bodies, is the procedure of drying the coating of a vehicle body. This can be for example a paint or an adhesive or the like. The following description of the invention in detail is based on the example of such a dryer.
In commercially known temperature control devices or dryers which are operated in throughput mode, the transport carriages are coupled to a central drive system, for example a chain pull or the like. All the workpieces here are moved in the same way in a clocked or a continuous manner and the dwell time in the temperature control tunnel is the same for all workpieces.
However, it may be that varying temperature controls ought to, or have to, be realized for difficult workpieces, wherein the temperatures and/or the dwell times for the workpieces in the tunnel atmosphere can be different. However, in such a temperature control device, varying requirements of this type can only be implemented with difficulty. In varying treatments for two workpieces conveyed in succession through the temperature control tunnel.